1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to brushes, specifically to an improved hand-held brush for cleaning barbecue grills and the like.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hand-held brushes for removing cooked-on meat, vegetable matter, grease, oils, and the like from barbecue grills have been developed in convenient and efficient forms. A widely available form of barbecue grill brush is comprised of a one-piece hard plastic body. One end serves as a hand grip. From the hand grip, the piece narrows slightly in width and angles downward forming an intermediate section. From the intermediate section, the piece terminates in a flat, wide rectangular head section. Anchored to the underside of the head section are rows of stiff brass bristles. Embedded in and extending from the end of the head is a scraper, which is a thin, flat, narrow piece of steel with semicircular shaped notches cut from each corner. These features enable the user to scrape or brush off cooked-on food matter. The intermediate section is angled such that the head section is disposed below the hand grip. This design feature increases clearance between the user's hand and the grill to prevent the user's hand from contacting the hot grill surface.
Other styles of barbecue grill brushes are available. They vary in size, shape, and materials of construction. Some are equipped with scrapers and the handles vary in length. To various degrees of success, all styles of barbecue grill brushes accomplish the task of cleaning grill surfaces.
However, grill surfaces are more thoroughly and efficiently cleaned when hot. The major disadvantage of prior art barbecue grill brushes is that they do not protect the user's hand from the intense heat that charcoal and gas grills generate. Consequently, the user risks burn injuries to his or her hand and forearm. Users also risk singeing the hair off their knuckles and band. Another disadvantage is that the heat limits the amount of time the user can tolerate brushing the grill resulting in incomplete cleaning or complete cleaning only after multiple attempts. Brushes with longer hand grips enable the user to grasp the hand grip farther away from the heat, but at the sacrifice of leverage. The disadvantage is that the longer handle requires more strength to apply the same amount of pressure to clean the grill surface. Long handles also reduce maneuverability.